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Credit: @ericthomaschuBig changes are coming to Frontierland at Magic Kingdom Park. But a recent teaser announcement suggests that even more updates are on their way.
Last September, Walt Disney World Resort revealed that the only show in Frontierland, the Country Bear Jamboree, would soon close for a retheme. The animatronics will remain, singing Disney tunes reinvented into bluegrass, pop-country, Americana, rockabilly, and other genres.
On Tuesday, the Disney Parks Blog announced that the attraction would close on January 27 for its transformation into the “Country Bear Musical Jamboree.” The new show, inspired by Nashville Opry-style performances, will open this summer.
Down the road, Walt Disney Imagineers are hard at work transforming Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The Princess and the Frog (2009) inspired log flume ride is expected to open later this year, likely after the Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
But that’s not all. Though Disney Parks Blog didn’t share any more concrete projects, the official Disney site suggested Frontierland would see more upheaval in the coming years.
“But hold your horses, we’re not done yet,” the post reads. “We have a lot of growth and investment planned for our theme parks in the coming years and look forward to sharing more announcements about Frontierland … so y’all come back now, ya hear?”
Some insiders suggested that Frontierland may turn into New Orleans Square to better fit with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Though Walt Disney Imagineering dreams of “Beyond Big Thunder,” including lands themed after Disney Villains, Encanto (2021), and Coco (2017), the self-proclaimed insider revealed that a Frontierland retheme is a more achievable financial goal.
The Walt Disney Company hasn’t announced anything further about Frontierland since Tuesday’s Disney Parks Blog post. Still, the two-sentence teaser awakened fans’ imaginations.
“I’m hoping it’s a Tiana’s Palace/Place quick service restaurant. I wouldn’t be mad if it replaced Peco’s Bill,” Reddit user u/particularlyfunny wrote.
Disneyland Park opened Tiana’s Palace Quick-Service restaurant in New Orleans Square last September. Its success made many fans clamor for beignets at Magic Kingdom Park.
“I’ve got my fingers crossed for some vegan beignets!!” u/JanetSnakeholeDwyer said.
Another fan had more ambitious dreams.
“Personally I wish they’d update Big Thunder by re-theming it to a more Pacific Northwest style area with a bunch of trees and the same minetrain track,” said u/RobPlaysThatGame. “That way Frontierland would span the entire frontier, from the Mississippi to the Pacific.”
In a 2023 quarterly earnings call, The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger shared plans to invest more than $17 million in Florida in the next few years. While the Country Bear Musical Jamboree is certainly part of that spending–it’s undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.
Who knows what the future will bring? Whatever comes to Frontierland, it’ll undoubtedly be magical.
What about Frontierland should change, if anything? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that some comments outlined in this article are based on personal Disney Parks guest experiences. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.